Chapter XXIII.

How he is the strong and vigorous man, who yields to the
will of another.

But you must certainly
know that in general he plays a stronger part who subjects his own will
to his brother’s, than he who is found to be the more
pertinacious in defending and clinging to his own decisions. For the
former by bearing and putting up with his neighbour gains the character
of being strong and vigorous, while the latter gains that of being weak
and sickly, who must be pampered and petted so that sometimes for the
sake of his peace and quiet it is a good thing to relax something even
in necessary matters. And indeed in this he need not fancy that he has
lost anything of his own perfection, though by yielding he has given up
something of his intended strictness, but on the contrary he may be
sure that he has gained much more by his virtue of long-suffering and
patience. For this is the Apostle’s command: “Ye who are
strong should bear the infirmities of the weak;” and: “Bear
ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of
Christ.”20012001Rom. xv. 1; Gal. vi. 2. For a weak man will
never support a weak man, nor can one who is suffering in the same way,
bear or cure one in feeble health, but one who is himself not subject
to infirmity brings remedies to one in weak health. For it is rightly
said to him: “Physician, heal thyself.”20022002 S. Luke iv. 23.